Life all that glitters
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The country's first woman rock photographer says her decision to swap her camera for jewelry-making equipment and launch her own line is a sign this wild child is growing up and settling down.
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Gao Yuan and her jewelry. [China.org.cn] |
The country's first woman rock photographer says snapping hot shots was part of her youthful past, but jewelry-making suits her better now. Gao Yuan began chronicling the rock scene at 19 and went on to photograph nearly every major act, including such icons as Cui Jian and heavy metal outfit Tang Dynasty. She says it wasn't only her relationship with rocker Dou Wei, but also her wild heart that drew her to photography as an expressive medium.
But a decade later, Gao has hung up her camera to pursue a new medium for communicating her creativity.
She recently attended a filmed discussion with an audience of about 100 on her Yuan jewelry brand.
She appeared clad head-to-toe in her signature color - black - explaining she feels much more comfortable on the other side of the camera.
"So, this is really an awkward moment for me," she says, smiling and scratching her head.
But she becomes animated when talking about her jewelry.
"I am not a 20-year-old rebellious soul anymore, so I use another way to express myself," the 37-year-old says.
She made her first piece of jewelry when she was 14 - a pair of earrings fashioned from short pencils. Since then, she has bought a plethora of beads and chains to make simple creations.
She says she continued making jewelry for the entire time she was snapping photos and working for record companies.
"My friends often asked me to make some jewelry for them, things like necklaces and rings. Most are rockers with cool and unique personalities, so my designs were expressions of their characters," she recalls.
Gao says photography and jewelry-making share similarities as art forms.
"Taking pictures for those bands was my life, not a job. I was crazy about them and expressed my love for them with my camera," she says.
"They're my friends, and I love their music. We were the same age, young and reckless. Now, I've grown up and can sit for hours working on a brooch or earring."
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